The present invention, Colacasia ‘Fierce Gigante’, relates to a new and distinct interspecific hybrid of Colacasia, hereinafter referred to by its cultivar name, ‘Fierce Gigante’. ‘Fierce Gigante’ is a new tropical plant used as a landscape and container plant in tropical and subtropical areas.
The new cultivar was derived from a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor at his nursery in Louisville, Ky. The overall purpose of the breeding program is to make selections of Colocasia plants that have colorful foliage, a vigorous growth habit, massive plant size and for use in containers and landscapes. ‘Fierce Gigante’ arose from a cross made in June of 2011 between Colocasia ‘Cranberry’ (not patented) as the female parent and an unnamed and unpatented plant of Colocasia gigantea as the male parent. ‘Fierce Gigante’ was selected as a single unique plant in June of 2014 from amongst the seedlings derived from the above cross.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by in vitro propagation using meristem tissue under the direction of the Inventor in Eustis, Fla. in May of 2015. Asexual propagation by in vitro propagation has shown that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.